Outdoor notes: Help sought in reporting turkeys

By Ed Wall, Special to the Sun Journal

Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at 02:34 PM.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is seeking public assistance in reporting observations of wild turkeys this summer. From July 1 through Aug. 31, wild turkey sightings by volunteers and Wildlife Commission staff can be recorded and entered into an online database. The information gives an indication of annual wild turkey productivity, gobbler carryover and other population trends – all of which help the Commission manage the state’s turkey population. To participate, volunteers should use the online survey link on the NCWRC’s website, www.ncwildlife.org or directly at http://ncwildlife.org/summerturkeysurvey.

Before the 1970s, wild turkeys were scarce in North Carolina, with only about 2,000 birds statewide. Today, there are more than 260,000 birds from the mountains to the coast, and wild turkeys are one of the state’s most popular game animals.

After new volunteers submit observations, the Commission will automatically send a survey postcard the following year to provide an opportunity to participate again. Previous volunteer observers include members of the National Wild Turkey Federation – a valued partner of the Wildlife Commission in the reintroduction of the wild turkey in North Carolina. More information about the turkey survey is available from the NCWRC’s Ryan Myers at 919-218-3376 or ryan.myers@ncwildlife.org.

Duck stamps go on sale

The new 2014-2015 federal duck stamp has gone on sale. The stamps, which cost $15, are valid through June 30, 2015. Purchased by millions of waterfowl hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and collectors each year, duck stamps help raise money to purchase wetlands for ducks, geese and other wildlife species.

This year’s federal duck stamp is an oil painting of a pair of canvasbacks by Adam Grimm of Burbank, S.D. Grimm is a repeat winner; his art was also represented on the 2000-2001 federal duck stamp.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is seeking public assistance in reporting observations of wild turkeys this summer. From July 1 through Aug. 31, wild turkey sightings by volunteers and Wildlife Commission staff can be recorded and entered into an online database. The information gives an indication of annual wild turkey productivity, gobbler carryover and other population trends – all of which help the Commission manage the state’s turkey population. To participate, volunteers should use the online survey link on the NCWRC’s website, www.ncwildlife.org or directly at http://ncwildlife.org/summerturkeysurvey.

Before the 1970s, wild turkeys were scarce in North Carolina, with only about 2,000 birds statewide. Today, there are more than 260,000 birds from the mountains to the coast, and wild turkeys are one of the state’s most popular game animals.

After new volunteers submit observations, the Commission will automatically send a survey postcard the following year to provide an opportunity to participate again. Previous volunteer observers include members of the National Wild Turkey Federation – a valued partner of the Wildlife Commission in the reintroduction of the wild turkey in North Carolina. More information about the turkey survey is available from the NCWRC’s Ryan Myers at 919-218-3376 or ryan.myers@ncwildlife.org.

Duck stamps go on sale

The new 2014-2015 federal duck stamp has gone on sale. The stamps, which cost $15, are valid through June 30, 2015. Purchased by millions of waterfowl hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and collectors each year, duck stamps help raise money to purchase wetlands for ducks, geese and other wildlife species.

This year’s federal duck stamp is an oil painting of a pair of canvasbacks by Adam Grimm of Burbank, S.D. Grimm is a repeat winner; his art was also represented on the 2000-2001 federal duck stamp.

The duck stamp, also known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, dates back to 1934. Since then, the program has raised more than $800 million to help acquire and protect more than 6 million acres of wetlands within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are required to purchase and carry a duck stamp while hunting. A duck stamp also provides free admission to national wildlife refuges (NWRs) that are open to the public. They are sold at post offices, online through the U.S. Postal Service, at www.duckstamp.com and at many NWRs and sporting goods stores.

State fishing record broken twice

Nantahala Lake, a 1,065-acre reservoir in Clay and Macon counties, has produced two state records for kokanee salmon in less than a week. On June 6, Fred Mix of Rainbow Springs broke the existing record of 3 pounds, 9 ounces after reeling in a 3-pound, 15-ounce salmon, using a homemade spinner.

Five days later Jeffery Todd Smith broke Mix’s record, catching a kokanee salmon that weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce. He used flashers and dodgers as lures and had been trolling for nearly nine hours when the trophy fish hit. Smith said he has been fishing the lake for the last two years, hoping to land a record-breaking salmon. His perseverance finally paid off on June 11, which just happened to be the angler’s birthday.

Kokanee salmon are found in North Carolina only in Nantahala Lake, where they were stocked by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in the mid-1960s. They were introduced in an attempt to establish the species as a forage fish.